The language of Cervantes, Nebrija and Morales is becoming more and more important all over the world. In Morocco, it is the language of our “vecinos del norte” or “our neighbors to the north” to remain francophone. This geographical proximity has led to this Latin language being spoken by millions of local people.
Internationally, with almost 596 million Spanish speakers, or “hispanohablantes” as the Castilians call them, Spanish is currently the second most important language in the world as a mother tongue, and the third if we add those who speak it as a second or foreign language.
Estimates point to an ever-expanding cycle for the future of this community. The demographic density of a community that has tripled in size over the past seven decades is remarkable, highlighting the vitality of a language that is constantly expanding. In addition, nearly 24 million people study Spanish as a foreign language.
Spanish is the official language of 21 countries on three continents, not to mention the large Spanish-speaking community in the United States, estimated at 38.9 million people. The English-Spanish language pair is the one that offers the greatest capacity for communication on the international scene.
This is reflected in the figures for the study of Spanish in the major English-speaking countries, which show that the demand for this language has increased considerably in recent years, gradually becoming the first choice.
The progression of Spanish as a foreign language is unmistakable in the case of the United States, where it is by far the most studied language at all levels of education. More surprising is the importance that Spanish is acquiring in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, where the study of the Spanish language is growing at an exceptional rate.
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